Flathead High to honor Hodge’s 50th coaching year

Seven state track and field championships only begin to define the career of Dan Hodge, who will be honored for his 50th season as a coach at Flathead High before Tuesday’s track meet at Legends Stadium.

Hodge’s accomplishments long ago landed him on the Legends Wall of Fame — 2005, in fact.

He taught at Flathead for 33 years, after four years of competing in track and football at Montana State and 3.5 years serving his country in the Army as a helicopter pilot.

In 1973 he became a track assistant for the Braves, was named head boys coach in 1976 and since then has presided over 17 divisional championships.

The 1963 Butte High graduate is Hall-worthy several times over: The Montana Softball Hall in 1986, the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 1997; the National High School Athletic Coaches Association in 2015.

It’s a resume worthy of a bigger crowd, but Hodge is going to miss Saturday’s Archie Roe Invitational (for the first time in 43 runnings) for son Steven’s wedding.

In 50 years he’s missed just two other meets: A pair of duals when Steven was competing at the Big Sky Conference championships for MSU.

A short ceremony honoring Hodge will take place just before today’s triangular with Missoula Hellgate and Sentinel begins, at 2 p.m.